GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

Plant crops provide us with food, clothing, and many other
important products. Farmers select seeds from the best plants to grow next
season. This selective breeding makes plants evolve features that people want
them to have – such as heavier rice grains – but it is a slow
process. To change faster, crops can be given new features directly from other
life forms. Cells take their features from instructions they carry, called
genes. Genetic modification (GM) allows us to move a gene from one life form to
another.

MOVING GENES

In genetic modification, scientists first identify the gene for the
desired feature. They can cut this donor gene from its DNA strand, using
chemicals called enzymes as scissors. The gene is kept in one piece and
multiplied by inserting it into a bacterium. The bacterium is used to carry the
new gene into the target plant, by “infecting” it.

CARRIERS OF GENES

Scientists use plasmids, which are found inside bacteria, to stop donor genes
unravelling and to replicate (copy) them. The donor gene is zipped on to the
plasmid using chemicals called enzymes.

IMPROVING SHELF LIFE

Tomatoes can be bruised when they are packed and stored. As they
ripen, their skins become more delicate and are more easily damaged. Damaged
tomatoes quickly begin to rot, because mould can grow on their skins.
Scientists have genetically modified tomatoes by adding genes that stop their
skins softening as they ripen. This means they are less likely to bruise in
storage and be wasted.

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